Electrical control and/or measuring system



G. H- FRITZINGER ELECTRIGAL CON'IROL AND/OR MEASURING SYSTEM Dec. 14, 1948.

Filed Dec. 26, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l Zhwentor EEDI'QE Hfritzfnc er M Gttorneg Dec. 14, 1948. G. H. FRITZINGERI 2,456,499

ELECTRICAL CONTROL AND/OR IEASURING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 26, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet Snventor attorney Patented Dec. 14, 1948 ELECTRICAL CONTROL AND/ OR MEASURING SYSTEM George H. Fritzinger, West Orange, N. J assignor to Thomas A. Edi

son,

Incorporated, West Orange, N. .L, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 26, 1947, Serial No. 794,043

19 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in systems adapted to respond to whichever of a plurality of conditions has a value of greatest extreme such as those disclosed in the pending application Serial No. 791,336 of Frederick G. Kelly, filed December 12, 1947, and having a common assignee with the present application.

A general object is to provide systems of this character with means for testing them for operability and for finding the nature and location of defects therein whenever the system becomes inoperative.

In the mentioned Kelly application there is particularly described a plural bridge system controlling a relay to produce an alarm whenever the temperature at any one of a plurality of diiferent locations exceeds a given threshold value. One object of this invention is to provide a simple means for determining, when an alarm has been given, which of those localities has the temperature exceeding the threshold value.

Another object is to provide such system with means adapted to prevent giving any false alarm should an abnormal condition develop in the system.

Another object is to provide such control system with a simple selector means for shutting ofi the alarm and conditioning the system for detecting a maximum threshold temperature at all remaining localities.

Another object is to provide such a control system selector means for checking the temperature-responsive elements for jopens and "shorts and determining which of the elements is defective and the nature of the defect.

Another object is to provide such system with means to render the relay ineffective to control the alarm, or other device controlled thereby as the case may be, whenever any abnormal condition develops in the system causing the relay to be supplied with overload current-i. e., a current substantially higher than the current required to operate the relay,

A further object is to provide such control system with means to give a warning signal whenever an abnormal condition develops.

A further object is to provide such system with a selector means to shut off the warning signal when an abnormal condition develops in any one of the several bridges and to restore the relay to effective condition as to all remaining bridges thereof.

As has been clearly described in the aforementioned Kelly application, systems of the character described are not limited to control purposes but are applicable as well to measuring and indicating purposes. Since the present invention has also such broader application, it is intended that there be no unnecessary limitation of the invention and the foregoing objects to control systems per se.

Also, as will be hereinafter apparent, the present invention and foregoing objects are applicable broadly to control and/ or measuring systems adapted to respond to any one of several conditions when that condition reaches a given extreme in either direction-i. e., a given maximum or minimum value.

These and other objects and features of my invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended'claims.

In the description of my invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of one system embodying my invention, which is responsive to a condition of maximum value; and

Figure 2 is a similar diagrammatic view incorporating my invention and adapted to respond to a condition of minimum value.

The control system shown in Figure 1 by way of preferred illustration comprises a plurality of electrical bridges having a common branch III including two normally-fixed'resistors Illa and lllb in series. The other branches of these bridges, of which eight are shown by way of example, have the numbers II to l8 respectively. Each of these other branches comprises a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series referred to by the reference number of the branch with the suffix letters a and b respectively. All of these branches are connected in parallel to a common source of direct current such for example as a battery l9.

Each of the bridges has a cross arm connected from a junction 20 between the resistors Illa and lllb of the common branch to a junction between the resistors in the other branch thereof, this junction being referred to by the number of the branch with the suflix letter 0. A coil 2| of a relay 22 is connected in common with each of these branches. Additionally, each branch includes a rectifier in series with the relay, the rectifiers being referred to by the number of the respective branch with the sufiix letter d. All of these rectifiers are poled in the same direction with respect to the relay coil 2 I.

By way of typical example, the variable resistors llal8a may be temperature-responsive and may be in the form of resistor bulbs such as that described and disclosed in the Kelly Patent No. 2,398,892, issued April 23, 1946. These bulbs 3 may bemounted on or in the bearings of railway cars to detect the temperatures thereof and to cause-the system to give an alarm, or for example to stop the train, when any of those bearings reaches a dangerously high temperature. In this illustrative embodiment for giving an alarm when the maximum temperature of any one of a plurality of localities reaches a given threshold value, the respective rectifiers lldl8d are poled to pass current only when the potential of any one of the respective junctions llcl8c exceeds that of the junction 20 in the common branch by a given margin. In other words, at the threshold temperature at which an alarm is to be given the ratio of the resistors Ila to llb, as for the first bridge, must be greater than that of the resistors Illa to Oh by a suitable margin suflicient to cause the respective rectifier to be conducting and to pass enough current to operate the relay 22. When the relay is thus operated it closes a circuit 24 for an alarm such as an electric bell 23, the circuit 24 being connected across the battery I9 and serially including contacts 25 of the relay 22.

' Until one of the variable resistors increases to fulfil this condition all of the rectifiers are biased negatively to be non-conducting, wherefore the circuit 24 remains then open.

Not only does the present system respond to the condition of greatest extreme when that condition reaches a given threshold value, but it responds only to which of the several conditions has the value of greatest extreme beyond that threshold value. For instance, if the value of one condition goes beyond the threshold value to cause the relay to be operated and then the value of another condition goes still farther beyond the threshold value, the latter will take over control of the system since as the second condition goes to the greater extreme the potential across the relay coil 2| is increased to cause the respective one of the rectifiers l Iii-I811 controlled by the second condition to be conducting and the respective one of the rectifiers (Z-- I 8d controlled by the first condition to be rendered non-conducting. The value of the second condition will however have to go beyond the first by a suitable margin before it will take over fully the control of the system. This is because the resistance-voltage characteristic of rectifiers is one wherein the resistance falls with finite slope .from a high finite value of the order of several hundred thousand ohms to several hundred ohms as the voltage across the rectifier increases from negative to positive values through a range of the order of one-half volt. The stated margin may however be decreased by increasing the voltage supply of the system and/or the effective load resistance in the cross arms of the bridge.

The control and/or measuring system hereinabove described is in accordance with that disclosed in the pending'Kelly application abovementioned, and is a part of the present invention only by way of combination with apparatus hereinafter described.

The present invention comprises a simple selector means 26 for finding which of the resistors Ila-48a, or the respective localities thereof, is at the threshold temperature when an alarm is given. This selector means comprises simply a test resistor 21 connected to one side of each of the variable resistors |la--I8a, which is in the present case to the negative side of the system, and a selector switch 28 for connecting the test resistor 21 selectively across the respective resistors Ila-Illa, the switch 28 comprising a pole member 29 connected to the test resistor and a series of contacts 30-38 of which the first is idle and the others are connected respectively to the junctions lie-I80. The test resistor 21 has a, value preferably less than the threshold value of the respective resistors Ila-48a for reasons which will be hereinafter apparent. Normally the switch pole 29 is left in registration with the idle contact 30. When an alarm is given the operator will sweep the switch pole across the contacts 3i38 in succession. When the pole registers with that one of the contacts 3l'38 corresponding to the bridge giving the alarm, say the bridge having the variable resistor I5a, the shunt eilect of the test resistor across that resistor |5a will reduce the potential of the junction I 50 below a critical value and will render the rectifier l5d non-conducting to stop the alarm. Thus, the locality in which the temperature has reached the threshold value is determined by the positioning of the switch 28 at which the alarm is stopped.

The sensing elements of resistor bulbs are typically made of fine delicate wire and may at times break when the bulb is subjected to heavy vibration typical of railroaduse. If one of the resistors Ila-Illa should become open-circuited, say the resistor Ilia, the potential of the respective junction l5c will be increased far above the critical value necessary to produce an alarm since the cross arm of that bridge is then connected across the battery l9 by way of the resistors I51; and Illa. This causes an abnormally high current severaltimes greater than the operate current of the relay 22herein referred to as an overload current-to flow through the relay coil 22. This overload current would, of course, operate the relay to give a false alarm unless a preventive means is provided. By the present invention a suitable such preventive means is provided in the form of an overload relay39 having a coil 49 connected in common with all the cross arms of the several bridges and in series with the relay coil 22. For example, this overload relay may have a pair of normally-open contacts 4| connected in a circuit 42 across the coil 2! of the relay 22, and may further have a second pair of contacts 43 connected in a circuit 42 across the battery Hi. In this circuit 44 there is serially included a warning signal lamp 45. The overload relay is set to operate at a current typically two or more times greater than the operate current of the relay 22. Thus, if an overload current develops in one of the cross arms of the several bridges, the overload relay is operated immediately to close the contacts 4| and 43. As the contacts 4! are closed the coil 2i is shorted to disable the relay 22 so that no false alarm is given. At the same time the circuit 44 is closed by the contacts 43 to cause the lamp 45 to give a warning signal to indicate that one of the resistors I ial8a is open-circuited.

The selector means 2-6 is also used to ascertain which of the resistors l ial8a is open-circuited. For instance, as the switch pole 29 is moved successively across the contacts 3l-38, the test resistor 21 will be connected in the place of the opencircuited .one of the resistors Ilal8a when the position wherein the test resistor 21 is connected in place or an open-circuited one of the resistors I Ia'-l8a, the system is restored to operative condition as to all of the resistors I IaI8a except-the eflfective one. I

If any of the resistors Ilal8a should become short-circuited no alarm or warning signal is given since the effect of such short-circui'ting is to place a negative potential across the respective one of the rectiflers IId--I8d. In order to check the system for shorts in any of the resistors IIal8a, a second selector means 48 is provided. This selector means comprises a test resistor 41 connected at one end to each of the fixed resistors lIbI8b "and a selector switch 48 for connecting this test resistor selectively across the respective resistors I IbI 8b, the switch 48 comprising a pole member 49 connected-to the other side or the resistor 41 and a series of contacts 50-58 or which the first is idle and the others are connected successively to the respective junctions Ila-I80. The test resistor 41 has a value such that when it is connected in parallel with any one of the resistors IIb-I8b it will cause the potential of the respective one of the junctions IIc--I8c to be raised to the threshold value to give an alarm for all values of the respective reslstors Ila-Ilia above a prescribed minimum.

this minimum being typically the value of each of the respective resistors IIa--l8a at the minimum temperature to which they are exposed in the particular application of the system. Thus, by moving the selector switch 38 to connect the test resistor 41 successively across the resistors I Ib-I 8 successive alarms will be given by the respective bridges provided the bridges are in operative condition. If, however, one of the resistors IIa-|8a is shert-circuited, the connection of the test resistor 41 across the associated one of the resistors IIb-I8b will not raise the potential of the respective one of the junctions I Ie-I 8c sufliciently to cause an alarm to be given. Thus, the absence of an alarm at any one position of the selector switch 48 indicates that the corresponding one of. the resistors I Ia-I 8a is short-circuited. Since no general warning signal is given when one of the resistors I Ial 8a is shortcircuitedit being considered unnecessary because a short-circuiting of any one of the resistors IIa-I8a does not disable the system as to all remaining ones of these resistors shorts are detected by routine checking of the system by the selector means 46. In Figure 2 there is shown test and checking apparatus for the control system above described when that system is adapted to respond to minimum values instead of maximum values. The control system per se has the same components as in the foregoing embodiment, and these component-s are given the same reference characters. However, the rectifiers IId--I8d are poled now in a reverse direction so as to pass current only when the respective junctions lIc-I8c are at a potential suitably lower than that of the junction 28 in the common branch. For example, whenever in any one of the branches Il--I8, say the bran-ch I5, the ratio of the values of the resistors I5a to I51) becomes less than that of the resistors Ilia to I02) by a margin sumcient to cause the rectifier Iiid to pass current to operate the relay 22, there will be given an alarm by the device 23. Until one of the other resistors Ila-I8a reaches a still lower value the other respectively-associated rectifiers IId--I8d are non-conducting. When one of the resistors |IaI8a, say the resistor Ila, reaches a value lower than that of the resistor Ilia by a suitable margin it will take over control or the system in the same .way as when in the foregoing embodiment the value of one of the resistors II a-I8a goes beyond the maximum value of any of the remaining ones of these resistors then controlling the system.

If, in the second embodiment, a short develops in any of the variable resistors Ila-I811 an overload current will flow in the respective cross arm to the overload relay 39 to disable the control relay 22 and cause the lamp 45 to give a warning signal. In order to check which of the resistors I Ia-IIia is so shorted, and to remove the overload condition to render the control system operative as to all remaining ones of the resistors I Ia-I8a, the same as in the foregoing embodiment, the branches II-IB are connected to the ground side of the system through a circuit-opening switch 59. This switch comprises a pole 60 in the form of a conductive plate having eight radiallyextending fingers 60a. at 40 intervals and an open space 60b at the ninth such interval. This pole member is connected to one side of the battery I9. The fingers 60a register respectively with contacts 6I68 connected to the branches II-I8 respectively. As the pole member is turned the open space 60b registers successively with the contacts 6l-68 to open successively the arms of the branches II-I8 including the variable resistors IIa-I8a. When the branch including the shorted one of the resistors I Ia-I8a is so opened the overload condition is removed, the warning light is shut oil and the relay 22 is restored to unoperated condition whereby to render the system effective as to all remaining ones of the resistors l Ia-IBa.

If any of the resistors IIa-I8a should become open-circuited, the system remains operative as to all remaining ones of the resistors, but no warning signal is given. Such open-circuited condition is to be found by routine testing of the system by the use of a selector means 69 com prising a test resistor 69a and a selector switch 69b for connecting this test resistor selectively across the respective resistors IIa-Ifla. For instance, the test resistor is connected at one end to each of the resistors Ila-48a and at the other end to the pole of the switch 6912. This pole is movableselectively into registration with a series of contacts 10-18 of which the first is idle and the remaining ones are connected respectively to the junctions lIc-I8c. The test resistor 69a has a value such that when it is connected in parallel with any one of the resistors Ila-Ilia while the latter is at or less than a maximum value-a value which the resistor has when it is at the highest temperature to which it is exposed in the. particular application-an alarm will be given. If, however, any of the resistors IIa-I8a is open-circuited, no alarm will be given when the test resistor 69a is connected in the place of that resistor since the test resistor itself has a value greater than the threshold value required to give an alarm. Thus, upon routine checking by the selector means 69, any open circuit that may have developed in any one of the resistors lIa-I8a is detected by the failure of the system to give an alarm when the selector switch 6% is in a position corresponding to that of the opencircuited resistor.

The foregoing embodiments of my invention are intended to be illustrative and not necessarily limitative of my invention as the same are subject to changes and modifications without departure from the scope of my invention, which I endeavor to express according to the following claims.

I claim:

1. An electrical system comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a D. C. source of current and having a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewtli, an electrical receiving instrument, a cross arm for each of said bridges including said instrument and a rectifier in series, said instrument being common as to all of said cross arms and each of said rectifiersbeing poled in the same direction relative to said instrument, each of said other branches including a varying resistor and a fixed resistor in series and said common branch being arranged so that as any of said varying resistors reach a predetermined threshold value the respcctive rectifier becomes conducting to pass current to operate said instrument; and test means for said bridges selectively, comprising a test resistor and a selector switch for connecting said test resistor selectively across said varying resistors of the respective other branches.

2. An electrical system responsive to any one of a plurality of variables when the variable goes beyond a threshold limit, comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a D. C. source of potential and having a common branch, each of the other branches of said bridges including a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series; an electrical receiving instrument; a cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said electrical receiving instrument and a rectifier in series, said resistor being common to each cross arm and each of said rectifiers being poled to pass current to operate said instrument only when the variable resistor in the respectively associated branch goes in a given direction beyond.

exceeds a given threshold value, and said test resistor has a value less than said threshold value.

4. An electrical system responsive to any one of a plurality of variables when that variable exceeds a predetermined maximum, comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a D. C. source of current and having a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of said other branches including a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series; an electrical receiving instrument; a cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said electrical receiving instrument and a rectifier in series, said instrument being common to each cross arm and each of said rectifiers being poled to pass current only when the variable resistor in the respectively associated branch exceeds a given threshold value; and means for checking shortcircuit conditiors in said variable resistors comprising a test resistor and a switch for connecting said test resistor selectively across said fixed resistor of said other branches.

5. The electrical system set forth in claim 8 4 wherein each of said variable resistors has a range of variation from said maximum threshold value to a predetermined minimum value, and said test resistor has such value that when it is connected across any one-of said fixed resistors the respectively associated rectifier will pass current to operate said instrument unless the respectively associated variable resistor has a value less than said predetermined minimum.

6. An electrical system responsive to any one of a plurality of variables when that variable decreases below a minimum threshold value, comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a D. C. source of current and having a com mon branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of the other branches of said bridges including a'variableresistor and a fixed resistor in series; an electrical receiving instrument; a cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said electrical receiving instrument and a rectifier in series, said'instrument being common to each qross arm and each of said rectifiers being poled to pass current onlywhen the respectively associated variable resistor decreases below a given threshold value; and means operable to open-circuit selectively the arms of said other branches including said variable resistors.

7. An electrical control system comprising a.

plurality of electrical bridges connected to a source of direct current and having a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of the other branches including 7 a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series; an

electrical relay; a cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said relay and a rectifier in series, each of said rectifiers being poled to pass current to operate said relay ,when the value of the respectively associated variable resistor goes beyond a given limit; and means in said cross arms to disable said relay whenever a condition develops in said system causing an overload current to flow in any one of the cross arms.

8. An electrical control system comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a source of direct current and having a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of the other branches including a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series; an electrical relay; a'cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said relay and a rectifier in series, each of said rectifiers being poled to pass current to operate said relay when the value of the respectively associated variable resistor goes beyond a given limit; and means common to all of said cross arms for giving a signal whenever a condition develops in the system causing an overload curent to flow through said relay.

9. An electrical control system adapted to produce a control operation when any one of a plurality of variables exceeds a given threshold value, comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a source of direct current and having a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of the other branches of said bridges including a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series; an electrical relay; a cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said relay and a rectifier in series, said rectifiers being poled to pass current to operate said relay only when the maximum value of any of said variable resistors exceeds a given threshold; a device controlled by said rela and means common to said cross arms and responsive to an overload current in any one thereof caused by the development of 9 an open-circuited condition in any one of said variable resistors for rendering said relay inefiective to control said device and for concurrently giving a warning signal.

10. The control system set forth in claim 9 including a test resistor and switch means operable to connect said test resistor selectively across said respective variable resistors, said test resistor having a value less than said threshold value whereby upon any of the said variable resistors becoming open-circuited to cause an overload current to flow and disable said relay and upon said switch means being operated to connect said test resistor in the place of said one variable resistor, said overload condition is removed and said system is restored to effective condition as to all remaining ones of said variable resistors.

11. An electrical control system adapted to produce a control operation when any one of a plurality of variables exceeds a given threshold value, comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a source of direct current and having a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of the other branches of said bridges including a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series, each of said variable resistors having a range of variation from a predetermined minimum value to values above a given threshold; an electrical relay; a cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said relay; and a rectifier in series, said rectifiers being poled to pass current to operate said relay only when the maximum value of any of said variable resistors exceeds said threshold; a device controlled by said relay; a test resistor; and a switch means operable to connect said test resistor selectively across said respective fixed resistors, said test resistor having such a value that when the same is connected across any one of said resistors the respectively-associated rectifier is conductive to pass current to operate said relay and produce a control operation unless the respectively-associated variable resistor has a value less than said predetermined minimum.

12. A control system comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected across a source of direct current and having a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of the other branches of said bridges including a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series; an electrically-energizable control relay; a cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said relay and a rectifier in series, said rectifiers being poled in the same direction with respect to said relay; and an overload relay common to all or said branches and adapted to operate whenever the current in said control relay exceeds the operate current of the control relay by a predetermined margin.

13. The control system set forth in claim 12 including means controlled by said overload relay to give a warning signal when the overload relay is operated.

14. The control system set forth in claim 12 including a device controlled by said relay to give an alarm when the relay is operated, and means controlled by said overload relay to render said alarm device inoperative when the overload relay is operated.

15. The control system set forth in claim 12 10 including a shorting circuit for said control relay contolled by said overload relay to place the control relay in ineiiective condition when the overload relay is operated.

16. The electrical system set forth in claim 2 wherein said rectifiers are poled to pass current to operate said receiving instrument only when the value of one or more of said variable resistors is less than a given threshold value, and said test resistor has a value greater than said threshold value.

17. An electrical control system adapted to produce a control operation when any one of a plurality of variables is less than a given threshold value, comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a source of direct current and hav-' ing a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of the other branches of said bridges including a variable resistor and and a fixed resistor in series; an electrical relay; a cross arm for each of said bridges comprising said relay and a rectifier in series, said rectifiers being poled to pass current to operate said relay only when the minimum value of any of said variable resistors is less than a given threshold; 8; device'controlled by said relay; and means common to said cross arms and responsive to an overload currentv in any one thereof caused by the development of a short circult in any one of said variable resistors for rendering said relay ineilective to control said device and for concurrently giving a warning signal.

18, The control system set forth in claim 17 including means to open selectively the arms of said other branches including said variable resistors respectively whereby to remove said overload condition and restore said system to operating condition as to all remaining ones of said variable resistors.

19. An electrical control system adapted to pro duce a control operation when any one of a plurality of variables is less than a given threshold value, comprising a plurality of electrical bridges connected to a source of direct current and having a common branch and respective other branches in parallel therewith, each of the said branches of said bridges including a variable resistor and a fixed resistor in series, each of said variable resistors having a range of variation from a predetermined maximum value to said threshold value and less; an electrical relay; a cross arm for eachof said bridges comprising said relay and rectifier in series, said rectifiers being poled to pass current to operate said relay only when the minimum value of any of said variable resistors is less than said threshold value; a device controlled by said relay; a test resistor; and switch means for connecting said test resistor selectively across said variable resistors, said test resistor having such a value that when the same is connected across any one of said variable resistors, while the variable resistor has a value greater than said threshold value and not exceeding said maximum value, the respectively associated rectifier is rendered conductive to pass current to operate said relay and produce a control action.

GEORGE H. FRITZINGER.

No references cited. 

